Vending-machine.



' PATENIED APR. 26, 1904.

T. M. D'A Y. VENDING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED AER. 15, 1902.

NO MODEL.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

attoznen I wwmm I PATBNTED APR. 26, 71904.

TI MI VENDING MAGHINE. APPLidATION FILED AP B. 3.5, 1902.

2 SHEBTB BHEET 2-' N0 MODEL.

I trolled apparatus, and while particularly instructed that it will constitute the holder for UNITED STATES Patented April 26, 1904.

THOMAS MORRELL DAY,

HALF TO. JOHN W. RIFFE,v

.OF VVINDFALL, INDIANA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE- OF WINDFALL, INDIANA.

- YVENDING-MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters PatentNo. 758,301, dated April 26, 1904.

' Application filed Ap1il 15, 1902.

To all whom it may concern:

Beit known that I, THOMAS MORRELL DAY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Windfall, in the county of Tipton and State of Indiana, have invented a new and useful Vending-Machine, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to coin-contended for vending cigars it will be readily understood that certain features may be employed in machines for vending other articles. One of the objects of this invention is to provide apparatus which will. remove cigars from the original package as required by the inter-' nal revenue laws, said package being so conthe cigars during transportation and may be opened and placed within the machine so as to fully expose the cigars to the purchaser.

Other features of the invention relate to the mechanism for removing from the'receptacle and delivering the articles, said means being so constructed that it may be bodily removed from the casing, if desired.

The preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein Figure 1 is a perspective view of the apparatus. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional View through the same. Fig. 3 is a vertical'sectional view taken on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the delivering mechanism when removed from the casing. Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the cap-plate in inverted position, more clearly illustrating the construction of the coin-introd ucing mechanism. Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the package in which the cigars are placed.

Similar numerals of reference designate corresponding parts in all the figures of the drawings.

In the embodiment of the invention as shown a casing 10 is provided, having a lower enlarged compartment 11 and an elongated upper compartment 12, said upper compartment having a transparent face 13, which extends to a horizontal capplate 14, that covers the enlarged portion of the lower compartment.

Serial No. 102,988. (No niodel.)

The rear side of the casing is closed by a hinged door 15, provided with a suitable lock 16, by means of which it may be secured in its closed position. A horizontal platform 17 is removably mounted in thelower compartment 11, being provided on its opposite side edgeswith outstanding flanges 18, which slidably engage in horizontal grooves 19, formed in the opposing innerfaces of the side walls. The platform is secured in place by a pin 17, passed through one corner of the same and engaged'in a block 18, secured within the casing. The rear end of this platformhas a depressed seat 20., arranged along its rear edge, and in this seat is removably fitted the lower end of the package containing the articles to be vended. This package isin the form of a rectangular box having side walls 21 and 22, end walls 23, and a top and bottom 2i and 25,

which connect the end walls 23. -The side walls 21 and 22 terminate short of the bottom 25 to provide alined openings in the lower portion of the receptacle, the wall 22 being preferably longer than the wall 21 and having a longitudinal opening 26 therein. When in operative position within the machine, the receptacle or package is arranged in a vertical position within the compartment 12, its lower .end fitting in the seat 2 O, its upper end being held in place by means of a horizontally-disposed hook 27, secured to a supporting-bar '28, that extends across the upper end of the compartment 12, said bar constituting 'an abutment against which the receptacle rests.

The open slot 26 of the receptacle is arranged toward the transparent face 13 of the compartment 12, so that the larger lower opening of said receptacle is in the rear, this opening being of a suflicient size to permit the passage of one cigar therethrough, the other opening being small enough to prevent such passage. Then the box or receptacle is arranged for transportation, the slot 26 and the lower openings are closed by strips, asshown in Fig. 6, the revenue-stamps being so arranged over these strips that when the strips are removed said stamps will be broken, and therefore canceled.

Secured to the rear end of the platform 17 is an upstanding flexible keeper 29, prefer ably of rubber or similar material, which partially closes the rear lower opening of the receptacle, said keeper being held in place by a metallic plate 30. A conveyer-trough 31 is secured to the rear cover of the easing and has its upper inner edge located in line with the rear edge of the platform. This conveyer is inclined and leads to a spout 32, which extends through an opening 33 in the side wall of the casing, as clearly shown in Fig. 1. It will therefore be seen that a cigar removed from the lower end of the receptacle will fall into the inclined trough and gravitate to the projecting spout, from whence it may be removed. It will also be seen that only one cigar may be removed at a time, and under normal conditions the lowest cigar will be held against displacement by the flexible keeper 29, though said keeper will give suffieiently to permit the passage of the same when'suflicient force is applied to it.

The platform 17 carries on its upper face a pair of spaced guide-blocks 34, having their inner faces undercut and forming between them a guideway in which is slidably mount-' ed a plunger 35, the rear end of which is movable through the lower end of the receptacle, said plunger having an upstanding shoulder 36, arranged to abut against the rear wall of the box or receptacle to limit the movement of said plunger therethrough. A stop 37, carried by the forward end of the plunger, is arranged to engage an upstanding pin 38, secured to the platform to limit the movement of the plunger in its forward direction. An actuating device in the form of a block 39 is also slidable in the guideway formed by the blocks 34, said actuating-block carryingastem 40, which projects through the forward end of the casing, as clearly shown in Figs. 1 and 2. This block is provided with a transverselydisposed vertical coin-receiving socket 41, the

rear wall of which constitutes what may be coin engaged shoulder. The

termed a plunger 35 carries a forwardly-extending shank 42, which rests upon the rear end of the actuating-block, the front end of said shank being disposed contiguous to the socket 41 and constituting another coin-engaged shoulder. This shank is furthermore provided at its front end with an offset hook portion 43, against which engages an upstanding pin 44, carried by the actuatingblock, a spring 45, secured to one of the blocks 34 of the-platform, bearing against the pin 44 to hold it in such engagement. The front end of the shank 42 is covered by a cap-plate 46, secured to one of the guide-blocks 34 and having at its front end and directly over the front end of the shank 42 an upturned lip 47. Beneath the guide-block 39 and in rear of its coin-receiving pocket 41 is arranged a coin-engaged ratchet-plate 48, secured to the platform, as clearly shown in Fig. 2, said ratchet-plate extending over a coin-discharge opening 49, formed in said platform. I,

The means for conducting the coin from the exterior of the casing will now be described.

A coin-receiving opening 50 is made in the cap-plate 14, being surrounded by a suitable shield 51. Beneath this opening is secured an ordinary horseshoe-magnet 52, which is arranged at an inclination, one of the arms constituting a track or the bottom of the coinconducting chute upon which a coin will roll, said arm preferably having its intermediate portion covered by paper 53 or other material, the terminal or pole being exposed. A U-shaped stop 54 is secured to the under side of the cap-plate 14 in spaced-relation to the pole of the magnet, the distance being sufiicient to allow the passage of a coin thereover. Directly beneath this stop is pivoted a coinreceiving dipper 55, comprising a lever pivot- 8 5 ed intermediate its ends to the platform, the "rear end of said lever being weighted, the front end being provided with a U-shaped coin-receiving stirrup 56, which is normally supported in elevated position beneath the pole of the magnet and the stop 54. Pins 57 limit the swinging movement of the dipper.

When a coin is introduced into the receiving-opening 50, it passes down over the magnet and against the stop 54, dropping into the stirrup 56, which will then tilt and deposit it in the coin-receiving socket 41 of the actuating-block. The coin will project above the block a suflicient distance so that when said block is moved rearwardly by pressing the stem 40 the coin will engage the front end of the shank 42 of the plunger, as will be seen in Fig. 2. As a consequence the rear end of said plunger will be pressed into the lower end of the receptacle, consequently forcing the lowermost cigar therefrom into the chute 31, through which it will gravitate to the spout 32, as already described. During this rearward movement the coin will ride over the ratchet-plate 48, and as its lower edge engages behind the teeth thereof, it will lock the actuator against retrograde movement. When the full rearward movement is obtained, however, the coin will drop through the opening 49 into the lower portion of the compartment 11, and the actuator and plunger being released they will be returned to their original position by the spring 45, the pin 44 carried by the actuating-block engaging the hook 43 of the shank of said plunger. The dipper is so arrangedthat it will not tilt unless a coin of suflicient weight is placed therein, and therefore if a person should attempt to operate the machine by means of a blank or dummy that is lighter than the necessary coin the dipper will maintain its normal position and the dummy will be thrown rearwardly by the inclination of said dipper, so that it will not be conducted to the coin-receiving socket. In case a magnetizable blank is inserted it will pass down the magnet until it reaches the pole and will cling thereto,

passing around to the under side, the momenmomentum enough to pass about the pole and.

release itself therefrom. For this reason the arm is incased by paper, as shown, leaving only said pole exposed. The blank therefore passes over this paper covering with the usual velocity, but is attracted at the pole, the momentum, however, being sufiicient to carry it around until it again strikes the paper, whereupon it will be released and drop to the compartment 11.

By this construction it will be seen that an exceedingly simple machine is provided in which the original package for cigars may be employed, said machine delivering the cigars directly from the package to the purchaser. Furthermore, this package is so constructed that it may be employed in transporting the cigars and when open fully displays the same to the purchaser. It will be observed that the entire actuating mechanism is supported upon the platform, so that it maybe removed as a whole from the casing, and thus can be readily repaired, if necessary. At the same time this mechanism is of an extremely simple character though it is such that it cannot readily be surreptitiously operated. as blanks or dummies will be prevented from reaching their operative positions in the actuating mechanism.

From the foregoing it is thought that the construction, operation, and many advantages of the herein-described invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art Without further description, and it will be understood that various changes in the size, shape, proportion, and minor details of construction may be resorted to without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a vending-machine, the combination with a casing, of a receptacle removably arranged within the casing and comprising side and end walls, a bottom and top connecting the end walls, said bottom constituting a part of the receptacle and removable therewith, said side walls terminating short of the bottom,and a plunger arranged within the casing and movable through the receptacle below the side walls thereof.

2. In a vending-machine, the combination with a-casing, of a support arranged within the casing, a plunger slidably mounted upon the support, a box removably mounted upon the support and comprising side and end walls, and a top and bottom connecting the end walls and constituting a part of the removable box, said side walls terminating short of the bottom to provide alined openings in the opposite walls of the receptacle, said openings being disposed in alinement with the plunger.

3. In a vending-machine, the combination with a casing, of a support arranged within the casing and having a seat, a plunger slidably mounted upon the support in a plane above the seat, a box removably mounted upon the support and comprising side and end walls, and a top and bottom connecting the end walls, the bottom being located in the seat of the support and removable therefrom with the box,

said side walls terminating short of the bottom to provide openings in the opposite walls of the receptacle, said openings being arranged in alinement with the plunger.

4.. In a vending-machine, the combination with a casing, of a platform located therein and having a depressed seat, a box removably arranged within the casing and having a bottom that rests in the seat, said box being also provided in its walls and just above the bottom with alined openings, a plunger slidably mounted upon the platform and movable through the front openingof the box, means for actuating the plunger, and a flexible keeper secured to the platform and projecting across the rear opening, said keeper constituting the rear wall of the seat in which the box rests and projecting across the rear opening of the box.

5. In a vending-machine, the combination with a casing, of a platform located therein and having a depressed seat in its rear end, a remov- In testimony that I claim the foregoing as IIO my own I have hereto afiixed my signature in the presence of two Witnesses.

' THOMAS MORRELL DAY. W itnesses:

JOHN W. RIFFE, LUoIAN L. BRUMIT. 

